12 New Channel Updates Coming To WhatsApp Soon: Verification Status, Mute Notifications And More

In a bid to improve communication with more people, Meta-owned WhatsApp is working to introduce a new feature called "Channels".

WhatsApp Channels are different from Communities that lets users make bigger groups for sub groups.

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In a bid to improve communication with more people, Meta-owned WhatsApp is working to introduce a new feature called "Channels". According to WhatsApp beta testing site WABetaInfo, the messaging platform is working on a broadcast channel conversation and 12 features for channels, which will be available in a future version of the app and are currently being tested.

WhatsApp Channels are different from Communities that lets users make bigger groups for sub groups. Channels, however, are more like a public broadcasting tool. The 12 new updates for WhatsApp Channels, according to WABetaInfo are as follows:

Interface: Channels will adopt a full-width messaging interface in the conversation. A similar update is already available for community announcement groups after installing the WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.7.0.70 update from the TestFlight app.

Verification status: Channels can be verified and they are marked with the green checkmark icon. However, the process for requesting verification remains unclear. We will need to await an official WhatsApp FAQ to learn more about the verification process.

Number of followers: there is an indication of the number of followers right under the channel name. This number may be an approximation, particularly for channels with a significant number of followers.

Mute notifications button: WhatsApp aims to enhance user control over notifications for messages received from channels. To achieve this, a mute shortcut will be accessible within the channel header.

Handles: As announced in our initial article about channels (when they were called newsletters), channels support handles, which are displayed in the channel info.

Real followers count: The accurate number of people following a channel can be found in the channel info screen. This count provides the real representation of the channel’s followers, unlike the approximation mentioned earlier.

Shortcuts: WhatsApp wants to introduce three new shortcuts to enhance the user experience while exploring the channel info screen. These shortcuts enable easy actions such as unfollowing, forwarding, and sharing a channel with other people.

Channel description: The channel description will be displayed within the channel info screen and it allows channel creators to provide additional information and context to followers, including the purpose of the channel.

Mute notifications toggle: an extra toggle is provided to easily mute the channel.

Visibility status: a channel can be set to public, allowing anyone to discover it and view the shared content.

Privacy: channels offer a secure and private space where your information is kept private and protected.

Reporting: if you come across any issues with a channel you follow, you have the option to report the channel to the moderation team. In the event that a channel violates the Terms of Service, it will be suspended, and users will no longer be able to follow it. In addition, any previous messages sent to the channel will be deleted as part of the enforcement measures.